Roofing element



Q. E. RAHR.

- Rooms ELEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 17, 1918.

1,340,347. Patented y 18, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER E. BAHR, F BBOOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELINTKOTECOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

noorme ELEMENT.

Specification of'Letters Patent. Patented May 1920.

Application filed October 17, 1918. Serial No. 258,523.

To all coho 1n it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER E. RAHR, a citlzen of the United States,residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in RoofingElements, of which the following is a specification. A

This invention has relation to roofing materials and has for its objectto provide certain improvements therein.

, The invention consists of a roofing element; that is, a sheet orshingle in which the asphalt-saturated fibrous foundation has on itsupper and lower sides or faces coated and uncoated parallel zones, thecoated zone of one face overlying or underlying, as the case may be, theuncoated zone of the other face. Each coated zone is less than one-halfthe width of the element so as to provide a middle zone which isuncoated on each face..-

Preferably eachcoating consists of a layer of asphalt,.pitch or likematerial of relatively high melting point, in which is em- 25,

ent colors or shades may be employed, so

that, reversing-the sheet, one or the other color may be exposed inlaying the roof covering. In lieu, :however, of forming both surfacelayers of grit, one of them. may

consist of sheet asbestos, which, like crushed slate, serves as afire-retardant, or some other sheet material.

For many purposes it is desired that at least a portion of each sheetshall be left Figure 1, represents a portion of a sheet of roofingembodying the invention, said sheet being illustrated in conventional.form. Fig. 2 illustrates a shingle which embodies the invention.

I Fig. 3 is a conventional view illustrating how the sheet shown in Fi 1may be wound into a roll of minimum diameter.

section.

The body of the roofing element, whether f it be a sheet or a shingle,consists of felt, preferably' rag felt or equivalent fibrousmat'eriahwhich is saturated with a relatively low-melting-point pitch'or asphaltum, or other equivalent waterproofing compound, such .as usedin themanufacture of .com-. mercial roofing-felts.

On the drawing, this fibrous foundation is indicated conventionally ata. This saturatin compound is applied to the foundation 5y drawing asheet of felt through a saturating tank inwhich the compound ismaintained at the desired degree of fluidity by the application of heat,the excess orsurplus compound being expressed from the sheet by squeezerolls, thereby leaving the face of the sheet rough with the surfacefibers more or less exposed. Upon the lower portion of the'upper face orside of the sheet, there is applied by any suitable instrumentality,such as a coating roller, a layer b of higher-melting-point pitch orasphalt,--preferably blown asphalt having a melting point s ufii cientlyhigh so that the asphalt will not be affected by solar heat. This layer5 covers a zone of the sheet between the edges thereof, which zone isless 1 than one-half of the width of. the sheet. A

similar layer c of pitch or asphalt is applied to the under side or faceof the sheet, but is located below or under the uncoated zone 03 ofthetop face.

width of the sheet" a, sothat, between the inner edge e of the uppercoating 5 andthe inner edge i of the lower layer or coating This coating0 is. likewise in width less than one-half of the 0 there is a zone 9 ofthe sheet parallel with f and intermediate the upper and lower edgesthereof which is nncoated on both faces.

While these coatings b and c are soft and 7 plastic, I embed thereinsurface layers of crushed mineral, preferably crushed slate, asindicated at h and 73 respectively. By forming these two layers It and iof slate of different or contrasting colors or tintsit. is

possible for the user to solay the sheetor element as to expose thelayer of the desired color, or to lay the sheets to form bands of.different colors.

. In some mstances, instead of a fire-resistant layer of crushed mineralz, I may substitute a sheet of asbestos in lieu thereof, this asbestosbeing locked to the foundation-a by the layer of asphaltum. Or, ifdesired, 1 J

j asphalt-impregnated foundation, one side may substitute a sheet ofheavy canvas or burlap or. other fabric which will increase the strengthof the roofing when laid.

In Fig. 2, I have shown a roofing shingle, having the same constructionas that described except that naturally it is of the proper dimensions.1

Assuming thatthe sheet in Fig. 1, between its upper and lower edges, isthirty-two inches in width, each coated zone is preferably fifteeninches in width, leaving an intermediate zone of two inches on whichthere is no coating on either face. These same relative proportions arepreserved prefeiably in a shingle, which of course is of smallerdimensions, say nine by sixteen inches. By having the uncoated zone 9,it is possible to coil the sheet into a roll of minimum diameter, theuncoated zone of each convolution bending so as to permit theconvolutions to assume the shape show'n in Fig. 3. The shingles may bepacked in a compact package, by reason of the zone 9 to accomplish apractically like result.

Having thus explained the nature. of my said invention, what I claim isI. A roofing element comprising a fibrous asphalt-impregnated foundationhaving its opposite faces "coated with asphaltic material in zones,parallel with the top and bottom edges thereof, with fire-resistantmaterial, the coated zone of one face being opposite the uncoated zoneof the other face.

2. A roofing element comprising a fibrous asphalt-impregnated foundationhaving an intermediate zone which is uncoated on either face thereof,and having upper and lower zones of which one is coated with a surfacingmaterial on one face and the other is coated on the opposlte face.

3. A roofing element comprising a fibrous of said foundation beingprovided with an asphaltic coating which covers only the lower portionthereofand' the other side-be ing provided with a coatingwhich coversonly the upper portion, said coatings being surfaced with mineralmaterial.

at. A roofing element comprising a fibrous.

asphalt-impregnated foundation, one side of said foundation beingprovided with a coating which covers only the lower portion thereof andthe other side being provided with a coating which covers only the upperportion, each of said coatings being fire-retardant.

5. A roofing element comprising a fibrous asphalt-impregnatedfoundation, one side.

said foundation being provided with a coating which covers only thelower portion thereof and the other side being provided with'a coatingwhich covers only the upper portion, each of said coatings comprising alayer of asphalt and a surface layer of crushed mineral embeddedtherein, the said minerals being different in color or tint.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

CHESTER EQRAHR.

